Chapter 577 A premonition
"...Dodge, get rid of, pass! Mahomes completed the pass without mercy."
"It's a rainbow ball, long pass!"
"Twenty yards!"
"Forty yards!"
"Aiming at the end zone, a fifty-yard pass, the Kansas City Chiefs offense unleashed explosive power without warning. The Pittsburgh Steelers defense obviously didn't expect Mahomes' passing target—"
"Levi!"
"Confrontation, escape, overtake, Levi's footsteps showed the style of a wide receiver, creating openings while strolling. Rookie safety Edmonds was too green and immature to get stuck in the position."
"Levi, catch the ball."
"It was so easy and simple, Levi...haha, he even turned his back to the end zone and took the last two steps backwards, scoring the touchdown effortlessly."
"Yeah, touchdown."
"The Kansas Chiefs' first touchdown of the 2018 season, just like last season, still came from No. 23 Levi. This scene is not unfamiliar."
"but!"
"We should discuss the Kansas Chiefs' first offensive play and execution."
Short pass. Run the ball. Long pass.
In the first wave of offense in the opening game of the Kansas Chiefs, the team showed a completely different look, with three offenses and three strategies. Under the huge pressure of pass rushing and pressure, the home team's offensive fluency and explosiveness completely took the initiative. , scoring a touchdown in less than two minutes.
The offensive team is still the familiar offensive team. The Kansas Chiefs' offseason work mainly focuses on the defensive team. The offense basically remains the same, just replacing the main quarterback, but it has changed so much that it is unrecognizable, seemingly overnight. Completed the rebirth.
The ever-changing tactical combinations and dazzling route running showed confidence and determination with ease when facing one of the league's top defensive teams. Even if the Pittsburgh Steelers' defensive tactics were tough and determined, the team still relied on me. Keep control of the rhythm for the Lord.
surprise!
Absolute surprise!
The immediate reaction at Arrowhead Stadium was the most real and direct.
With a sudden movement, Felix raised his hands high in the air to make a touchdown gesture, beaming with joy and cheering towards the court.
"Touchdown, touchdown!"
Then he turned to look at his mother, and then at the faces around him that were clenching their fists in celebration. Happiness and joy shone brightly on each face.
It's more than that.
Phew!
The Old Oak Tavern was still noisy and crowded, and people who entered the pub one after another were chatting eagerly. It seemed that before they had time to enter the game state, Levi's relaxed and freehand figure was seen on the big screen, standing upright in the end zone, breaking through Balanced.
Invariably, all eyes turned to the big screen——
"fly!"
Only after a slight delay did these senior fans react.
"Just... was that a long pass? A fifty-yard pass?"
"That's the kid, the athletic kid who was drafted last year with the rookies."
The crowd of eyes were all focused on "that boy".
Ah, ah ah!
On the field, the kid raised his arms high and rushed toward Levi in the end zone, pushing away other teammates who came forward to celebrate. He jumped on Levi like a koala and kept waving. His right arm seemed to be waving a riding crop, and he was shouting happily.
"Touchdown, rookie, it's a touchdown!"
Although he had already played quarterback twice in last year's regular season and had scored a touchdown with Levi, things were still different. Since Smith's transfer, the pressure accumulated on Mahomes' shoulders has been warming up little by little. Whether it is doubts or those who "give young people some time", all are invisible pressures.
If Levi hadn't caught him training all the time, immersed in the playbook, and had no time to think about it at the end of the whole day and go home and fall asleep, Mahomes' head might have been filled with negative reports and hate speech to the point of exploding.
But now——
Scored his first touchdown as a starter.
It is joy and catharsis, and more importantly, stimulation, enjoyment and fun.
Mahomes was completely immersed in it, allowing himself to enjoy every second.
In the live broadcast room, NBC TV commentator Al Michaels, who witnessed the wonderful opening game for the second consecutive year, saw this scene, a smile crept onto his lips, and he couldn't help but make a joke.
"I have a hunch that the combination of Kansas Chiefs No. 15 and No. 23 may bring more surprises this season."
Buzz, buzz buzz.
Arrowhead Stadium was in an uproar, and the scalding heat wave was venting down with fangs and claws, almost breaking free from the restraints and rushing out of the TV screen——
At this moment, it's not just the fans who are paying attention to the opening game, thirty other teams and countless league players are also paying attention.
Facing the Pittsburgh Steelers, a strong defensive team, the efficiency and attitude displayed by the Kansas Chiefs offensive team have been upgraded compared with last season.
No one can ignore it.
Especially the defensive coordinator and the defensive players.
"Aaron, what do you think?"
In Los Angeles, Aaron Donald, the league's best defensive player last season, was pounding iron. He was sitting on the equipment to train his chest muscles while watching the TV screen. The clanging sound of the iron was incompatible with the party in the pool villa, but other players were not interested in it. This scene is already familiar.
Donald didn't answer immediately, and only let out a breath after finishing this set of training.
"At the moment, we can't see the effectiveness of their training with JJ Watt. We need to continue to see. I am looking forward to the subsequent games."
There were numbers 23 and 15 in Donald's eyes. A naive smile appeared on his face that was as honest and cute as a teddy bear:
hey-hey.
Others shuddered, goosebumps arose, and screamed like crazy.
"0:7".
The home team wins first.
Although it was just a touchdown, the Pittsburgh Steelers defense encountered comprehensive suppression, which still made the atmosphere of the visiting team slightly depressed.
The pressure suddenly came to the visiting team's offensive team.
The former iron triangle lost its indestructible stability due to Bell's absence. Neither Roethlisberger nor Brown opened their mouths to encourage their teammates. Instead, there was a figure beside them as eager as a flea——
Juju Smith-Schuster.
As long as he plays against Li Wei, Zhu Zhu will be in high spirits.
Haha, Levi performed well, so what? Next, it’s up to Zhu Zhu. He will destroy the Kansas Chiefs’ defense with a more exciting performance, score a touchdown in return, and then become a superhero.
Zhu Zhu puffed out his chest slightly, full of confidence.
Last season, the performance of the Kansas Chiefs' defense had its ups and downs, relying on tough performance at critical moments to keep it from falling behind. After tinkering in the offseason, can it withstand the test this season?
The first test is the Pittsburgh Steelers without running back Bell.
To be precise, without Bell's strong ground support, the Pittsburgh Steelers' offense is indeed facing a severe test. Tomlin attaches great importance to ground offense; precisely because of this, the relationship between Bell and the team completely broke down, and the league did not expect it. Everyone thought Tomlin would fight for Bell.
But this team still has Roethlisberger, Brown and Tomlin, and no one can underestimate them.
Zhu Zhu: Hey, there's me too!
(End of this chapter)